Crazy Dimples and Chickenheads

I sat down here to write about the conversation I just had with Amy Breedlove, but while doing that, a package appeared at my door that is still making me cry. I'm not sure how long it's going to take me to get through this post, as I keep having to stop to cover my face and cry. No kidding.

I am blessed, blessed, blessed by this blogging community. You people are my lifeline, second only to Jesus. I'm humbled and brought to a steady flow of tears as I write this, thinking of the support, the prayers, and the love sent our way from people I have yet to meet in person. Thinking of that fact, along with a package from the deep South has successfully pushed me over the edge into Tearsville.

Here's the outside of the box:

The inside of the box looked like this, before I tore into it:
Inside, along with tons and tons of delicious cosmetics samples for the Gladney ladies were some special treats for me and Ted from Mississippi.

Firstly, I pulled out a can of rutabagas!
I don't don't know how she could have known this, but some of my dearest friends in Hattiesburg, Dave and Angela, seen here and featured in the past on this blog, own this truck with this special license plate:
I've never really eaten rutabagas, but this might just be a "breadcrumb," so I'm paying attention and ready to dig in to this wondrous root.

And it got better! I next found a can of mustard greens! Of the three greens (mustards, collards and turnips), mustards have always been my favorite.
And then I discovered some Silvia's Queen of Soul Food peach cobbler mix. Yum! That'll be fun to try out when peaches are in season:
Along with these wonders, we had Valentine's candy addressed directly to us, even a Cars chocolate bar from Ryan to Ted that says, "You rev me up!" Hm. :)

Probably what's making me cry even more than the gift of mustard greens is the CD Meredith made for us with such wonderful music. Each new track makes me cry, from a song about a girl "on the banks of Lake Pontchartrain" to my Sweet Baby James singing "Sweet Potato Pie" to a song with this line which has made me cry the most: "God blessed the broken road that led me straight to you."

Thank you Meredith for these tears today. You've got it right:

Oh my gosh. And now I'm crying with laughter. It's one of my favorites: the "Chicken, chicken, bwok bwok chicken heads...Oh please, whateva" song! No kidding! Love it love it love it! Back in the grad school days in Hattiesburg, Angela and I used to sing this song! No kidding! Meredith Rocks!

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The illustrious Breedlove family is home from Addis with their Nathan, and I had the fun of a newsy, long conversation with Amy today with a squealing Nathan in the background the whole time. It's an amazing thing to meet someone through their blog, follow their story, email, talk on the phone, and then actually hear their baby through the distance. Hearing those baby voices in the background gives me chills. It's a wonderful thing.

Amy sent me a new photo today, along with a memory card with photos and videos mailed today, probably to arrive next week. Amazing. The best thing was simply hearing Amy's wonderful description of Abenezer. She said that he smiles constantly and is a giggler. In the photo we got today, I think he must have been giggling because I can see lots of gums, dimples, and crinkled eyes. In fact, Amy said that "he has crazy dimples" that take up most of his cheeks.

The thought of those crazy dimples and the hope of planting many kisses on them just might get me through this weekend. I'm pretty sure that the mustards, rutabagas and chickenhead song are gonna help a lot too.